When a major disaster, such as a hurricane, earthquake, tornado, fire, or terrorist attack, strikes an area, those individuals within the disaster area often seek information on the disaster and instructions on what they should do next and how best to protect themselves. Emergency notification systems address this concern by communicating alert messages through various communication channels such as broadcast television, terrestrial radio, satellite radio, and a cellular network. One such emergency notification system is the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS).
Major disasters, however, may disable or greatly impair the very communication channels upon which an emergency notification system relies. For example, a major hurricane may destroy the cell towers of a cellular network within an area, cutting off the ability of cellular users within the area from receiving emergency alerts on their cellular device.